Charles Manson, 83 the wild-eyed 1960s cult leader whose followers committed the Tate-LaBianca murders that shocked and terrorized Los Angeles area died Sunday of natural causes, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Manson, one of the most notorious killers of the 20th century was behind bars serving nine life sentences for the crimes committed by his followers in a two-day killing spree in August of 1969.
The brutal killings began on August 9, 1969, at the home of actress Sharon Tate and her husband, famed movie director Roman Polanski. The first set of victims were Tate, who was eight months’ pregnant; a celebrity hairstylist named Jay Sebring; coffee fortune heiress Abigail Folger; writer Wojciech Frykowski; and Steven Parent, a friend of the family’s caretaker.
The next evening, another set of murders took place. Supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were killed at their home.
Although Manson ordered the killings, he didn’t participate.